The Path Of Time
by CrowNoYami
Summary: After the war the five gundam pilots have settled down to help keep the peace... legally this time. Their only problem is that each Preventor must have a partner, enter Agent Hallow a strange man that they all must learn to trust. There's something off about him and the five of them must find out. Will contain Slash aka Yaoi
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Harry Potter or Gundam Wing... if I did Trowa and Quatre would have been openly gay and together. Snape never would have died (he was my favourite from book one) Ginny would have denied in book two. Oh how Releena would have given up on Heero and Voldemort would have been taken out by a bazooka. Oh! I also make no profit from this story, this will however be my only disclaimer although I may add the odd authors note at the end ^_^**

**Authors Notes:**** I honestly have no idea what I am doing with this, I have no idea if I will ever post it let alone finish it. In all honestly I should be working on the next chapter of The Powers That Be or my original novel not writing this... gosh darn my plot bunnies! I don't expect to update more than once a month of this story as I do have another fanfiction on the go but hey, the muse wants what the muse wants :P Also I am open to a beta for this story if anyone is interested just tell me in a review or drop me a PM**

***** Chapter One ******

It had been three years since the war, since he last risked his life for the greater good. In those three years he should have found peace, he should have found the long sought after happy ending that he had only dared dream about. Instead he found that war didn't end when the evil died, no instead that was only the beginning of his struggles. At first it was perfect, he basked in the victory of the light, the evil that was Lord Voldemort was defeated and he was hailed as a hero of the people. They raised him high on his pedestal, gave him a position of power as an auror even though he wasn't even of the age of majority and everyone was asking for his hand in marriage. Like expected of him he went back with his love interest, his best friend's sister and with his other friends help was able to take his NEWTS a full year earlier.

He was only a couple months away from sixteen when he rid the world of Lord Voldemort, when he took the life of the man who killed his parents. Sixteen and he was worshipped for murder. It was no wonder when he started to change, when he no longer wanted to go to the balls and galas in his honor, in fact all he wanted to do was take the time to mourn his godfather. He had lost him along with the werewolf Remus in the final battle, the only remaining two friends of his deceased father since he no longer counted Peter. Instead of letting him have the time to himself he found someone around him all the time, enough so that he didn't even feel like the house left to him was his own his anymore.

Perhaps it was a buildup of things, the whispers, and the touches, the sympathetic and cautious eyes that constantly watched him. Honestly he could not pin point when he started to feel that maybe all was not as well as he thought. Eventually he had enough to go on, and with the help of the goblins and house elves who seemed to worship him for a whole other reason he had enough evidence to make him crack. It was one year five months and two days from when he killed Voldemort that it all came together for him. His friends, the only family that he had and those that he loved and would give the world for hated him.

It took him an additional three months before he could prove anything, but when he did he lost everything that mattered. Harry thanked whoever was looking out for him every day that for once he let his Slytherin side out; instead of rolling over and letting those close to him take advantage of him. The time and effort he put into building the case paid out; in court he proved that his surrogate family had been taking money from him, that his girlfriend was illegally giving him love potions, that his friends were stealing from his vaults and that his dear headmaster was the head of it all. It turns out that his abuse at the Dursley's was brought up as well and Dumbledore being his magical guardian was brought up on charges in their stead as they were muggles.

By the end of the month of trails and evidence both for and against him the final verdict was something that he was proud of, although saddened that it came to it at all. Molly and Arthur Weasley were found guilty of knowingly stealing from him and were sentenced to pay back every knut, anything they could not earn they were to work off at Gringotts. Hermoine, Ron and Ginny were found guilty of stealing items from his vault, Hermoine stole books, Ron armoury, and Ginny jewelry which were all to be returned and all three were to serve ten years in Azkaban for stealing pure-blood heirlooms.

Dumbledore took the longest to sentence; the amount of evidence that was brought up against him was astounding. Not only was he found guilty of child abuse, but as he was headmaster of Hogwarts there was a full investigation and he was charged of three more charges of abuse on other muggle raised or born children. He was also charged with abuse of power, it turns out that knowingly letting a known killer into the school twice and not telling The Ministry when the chamber had been opened didn't do him any favours. He was also charged with kidnapping as Harry was held against his will at his aunt's house, Dumbledore tried to fight the charge saying it was for his own protection however the blood wards only worked until fourth year when Voldemort used his blood to come back.

Stealing was a major charge as well, and like the Weasleys he was forced to pay it all back, which as the head of the Dumbledore family he did. He also had Harry's invisibility cloak for nine and a half years, another family heirloom that should have been returned to the vaults as soon as James died. Fraud, espionage against The Ministry, allowing Harry to compete in fourth year, everything that he did since before Harry was even born was brought into the open. By the end of the charges, of which he was found guilty the end result was the kiss. Harry when he heard the verdict although he was somewhat expecting it, was in a way shocked that it had all come down to this.

It took two years from the date he killed the Dark Lord for everything to be settled, and for him to finally be able to find his peace in his own way. Still something was missing, something that he inherited from his father, his need to adventure and danger. It was this that led him to the path he never knew would change the course of the rest of his life. He never did stop training, picking up muggle combat and weapons after Voldemort's fall, after all he couldn't use magic until he was seventeen unless he was on duty. His auror training, his muggle privet training and his thrill for adventure only left him with one option.

Now standing in front of the clearly marked building of the nearest headquarters to his home, one of the many that his godfather and parents left him he hoped that this would help him find the peace he was looking for. Walking into the building, Harry smiled at the clerk at the front counter, an older woman who probably couldn't do much field work anymore and saw her smile back at him. Placing the folder that he and the goblins, his greatest allies had managed to piece together on the counter in front of the woman he spoke.

"I heard that there might be a position here for me."

Seeing the woman raise an eyebrow at him, Harry could only smirk at her question.

"And what brings a young man like yourself to the preventer? We are looking for those serious about this job; it can be very dangerous after all."

"Trust me, you won't find another as willing to fight for the greater good then me."


	2. Chapter 2

***~*~*~ Chapter Two *~*~*~**

"Did you get a look of the new recruit?"

"I heard that he bet one of the top scores on one of his tests!"

" I heard he just showed up and blew them all away!"

"Did you see him? My God he's hot! And young too!"

"I heard he was single... or at least that he isn't wearing any ring..."

"Who do you think he'll be placed with?"

Duo sighed as he once again heard about this new kid that came in and seemed to be the talk of the building. According to recent rumour the kid was young, talented, hot and seemed to be some kind of protégé from what he was told. Normally it wouldn't bother him, but honestly the kid was there for a week and it was all anyone wanted to talk about, even those friends he made outside the pilots wouldn't shut up about him. What was worse is that none of the five of them had seen the kid. Heero and Wu Fei were off on a mission, but Trowa, Quatre and him weren't able to catch a glimpse of him.

Only being able to go from what he had heard had Duo concerned, Lady Une had been telling them for the past few years that they would have to eventually add another into their close group. It was only their reputation of getting rid of anyone that tried to enter their team that kept her from trying. It had been around six months since Heero scared off the last one, apparently having the ex-pilot not answer him and then only glare eventually got on his nerves and he couldn't cope anymore. Being the five of them they would switch who would get the newbie, Duo only hoped that Wu Fei who was due to try his hand at the newbie didn't traumatize him, they needed more protégés.

Coming to the office that he shared with Heero he slumped down on the couch they had set up for when one of the other pilots were there. Laying down with his hand thrown over his head he groaned, without Heero there for him to rant to he could only mutter to himself about the new kid who he never even met yet. Hearing the beep of an oncoming message on his computer Duo jumped up from his spot and made his way to his desk, wondering what mission he would be put on. Opening the secure files he found a very brief message _'Agent Scythe you are to report to my office immediately ~ Lady Une'_

Worried that it could have something to do with Heero and Wu Fei seeing as they weren't back yet, although they were not expected until the next day he made his way to Lady Une's office. On the way he ran into the others, except of course Wu Fei and Heero who were still working, seeing that neither of them seemed to be any more informed the three of them arrived at once to their commanders' office. Quatre knocked and waited for permission before entering, the secretary not stopping them on the way, probably informed that they would be there. Hearing the command to enter, the three of them were surprised to see Heero and Wu Fei seated on two of the chairs that were inside the office.

Although relieved that nothing had happened to the two of their group this only caused more confusion. A shake from Heero let Duo know that neither he nor Wu Fei had been informed of what was going on either. Smiling although not saying a word, which was uncharacteristic of him, Duo instead took a spot close to Heero and waited for Lady Une to say something; he was not disappointed.

"I am sure that you are all wondering why I have brought you here. It has been brought to my attention once again that you remain five instead of the six which is required. I have asked each of you to take on someone to try and make a partner and decent preventer out of them and you have all one by one scared off any that tried. I have been generous thus far but after the last one, a bright young man if only a little wet behind the ears I have had enough. I am willing to take partial responsibility of this, giving you all too much leeway but enough is enough.

Regulation states that no one preventer can go into duty by himself without at the very least someone on call to help them. It is because of this that I cannot have my five best agents in the field at the same time; it is rare that anything requires more than two of you and I will not waste manpower. So I have decided that instead of asking one of you to take on the task and scare him off, this individual will be a sixth member of your team. You will all be moved into a floor of your own which will give you more space and will change partners depending on what I need you for, much like you do now. The only difference will be a sixth member to make this easier."

Quatre waited a few moments before he asked his question, the same one that Duo himself was wondering.

"I'm sorry Lady Une however if one of us at a time has in some way managed to scare off every recruit so far how would putting us together help?"

"Honestly, Agent Sand I was originally going to put him with only Agent Shen however it was the recruit that came up with this idea. I was hesitant at first but at his insistence I believe that he may be correct after all to know one of you, means that he would have to eventually know all of you. Now I believe that you will be able to meet your new partner."

Buzzing her intercom she informed her secretary to send Agent Hallow in. Only a few moments later there was a soft knock on the door which after given permission he opened and all too soon, but yet not soon enough Duo found himself able to finally see the agent that everyone was talking about. There was no other that he could be, and the others were right, he was hot. From the expressions on the others faces he wasn't what they were expecting and honestly it wasn't what Duo was expecting either.

The man in the doorway didn't look like he was overly strong; instead he was built more like the five of them mussels hidden but able to sneak away in short notice. His hair was just barely past his shoulders and a deep raven, the preventer uniform was somewhat snug against his skin, but it wasn't snug enough to cause discomfort. It was his eyes though, his eyes were what drew a person in, behind a pair of delicate looking frames were the purest emeralds he had ever seen. Those eyes weren't green like Trowa's; instead they were a vibrant green that he didn't know could exist in a pair of eyes.

"Agent Hallow, may I introduce you to the rest of the agents that you will be working with for as long as you're in the agency. This is Agent Wing, Agent Scythe, Agent Smra, Agent Sand and Agent Shen. Agents this is Agent Hallow the sixth member of your party, I hope the six of you can get along. Now you all have the rest of the afternoon and until another mission comes in to move your things onto floor seven which had been cleared out. I will leave it to you to sort out the floor. You are all dismissed."

As they stood to leave, Agent Hallow spoke for the first time, and Duo was blown away by the sound of the voice. It was so much like Heero's that it shocked him, strong in its own right but it seemed to be missing something... emotion.

"I would like to thank you Lady Une for allowing me this indulgence. I also hope that we will all be able to work together."

With that the agent bowed his head for a moment before he moved out of the way so that the others could make their way outside of the office. As they walked past the newbie Duo looked to Quatre who would be able to feel with his space heart the emotions of the agent. Receiving a shake of the head in response to his unasked question, Duo once again surprised about the newbie, even Heero would feel something when they first met him. They all walked in silence, the five ex-Gundam pilots going to the new floor to pick out how they would organize around each other. The newbie stayed behind them but not so far as to be separated from the group, even though those that knew the agent would know that he could have been miles away.

Once they finally arrived at the floor the newbie waited as the others seemed to as one spread out and chose where they wished to stay. Agent Hallow himself had already been inside the room he hoped nobody took for his privet office while the others were just seeing it for the first time. Along the hallway there were several doors, none of which were marked that totalled eight. One room was to be used by all six and was what Hallow named the common room; six others were for individual offices for when they would work on confidential cases in pairs. Each office was designed the same, two desks, a couch and a table in the middle of the room with a couple of chairs.

The common room was a fairly large room, large enough for each of them to have a desk, a power outlet; a phone which he was sure had their own line and a comfortable chair. There was also a large whiteboard, table, chairs and cabinets that they could store their information in as only the pilots and he had the access code to get to that floor. The offices didn't have cabinets as if their cases couldn't be shared with the others then they were of a high enough calibre that they would need to be taken down to the storage unit each shift. Hallow had been given the run down by Lady Une and although some things seemed a bit extreme he did understand that some things needed to be kept to the strictest regulation.

Keeping his eyes on the ex-pilots he watched as they one by one chose which office they wanted to keep as their own. He almost breathed a sigh of relief as the room he wanted was not claimed, seeing the others seem to have some kind of silent conversation with each other, he made his way into the common room and going to one of the cabinets he used the access code to open it and brought out his bag. It was only a shoulder bag that he kept a few things in, he would be able to get his larger one out of his locker while the others got their things but his laptop had to be secure.

Turning around he wasn't surprised to see that one of the pilots had been watching him, still not saying anything he walked to the room that was left unclaimed and happily went about setting his things up. Most importantly was his laptop which he hooked up and then placed the notepad and a set of pens inside one of the drawers. He would have more things in his other bag but this was all he wanted in this one, beside the set of clothing that he kept inside it. Feeling that there really wasn't much else that he could do, he turned to the one that had staid, seeing that it was the blond he smiled at the young heir.

"I'm sure that I can entertain myself if you wish to get your things, don't worry I promise not to do anything questionable in your abstinence. I would suggest that although I am sure the others and yourself would like to get settled in their offices that we should probably get use to the common room fairly soon. Eventually one or all of you will have me there to watch your back, I would like to know that you all have mine as well, or if not who wouldn't."

The blond looked like he was about to protest his last statement but Hallow just smiled slightly.

"I do not mean to insult but all I have is paperwork to go on here, and honestly you all have a track record of getting rid of the newest member. If I am to do my job correctly, if any of us are then we need to be able to trust each other even if only slightly... and I find myself with a tendency to fail at trusting without cause anymore."

The tone was probably what did it, the sadness in the last word that caused Quatre to look at him so sadly. Hallow knew why, he had been given full clearance, something that he didn't believe he would ever tell the others, after all even they were held back slightly. It wasn't his idea, in fact he had protested to the whole idea of him moving up the ranks without first proving himself, but he was out-commanded and outranked. Looking at the young man before him, Hallow wondered how long it would be until he was added onto the list of people that betrayed him and his friends.

"We all have our own way of doing things, and honestly we don't like others trying to enter our world. All five of us met during the war and connected, we have been through a lot together so it's hard to accept someone who hasn't been through the same. I can say this for all five of us though, we would never betray our partner regardless if it was our choice on whom or not. All the others left because of our quirks you could say, not because we didn't cover their back."

Sighing inside of his own mind, Harry nodded his head before he gave a hesitant smile to the Winner heir. He had used his clearance to do some more research on the five who would be his partners during his time in the perventers. Although they had all had their chance to take on a new partner, none of the newbies no matter the situation had managed to get hurt, in one case it was in fact the pilot that was caught up in a blast that almost took him out of the field while the newbie was left unhurt. Harry didn't think that Duo would ever quite trust anyone besides the pilots after that... it was the newbie that almost took him out.

Seeing that Quatre was waiting for a verbal response he tried to put his thoughts into words. "I understand, truly I do... and I have been given access to the reports made about the previous partners you and the other four have had. Not once did any one of them get hurt while under your care, but I don't plan on running away and as such it is inevitable that at some point a mission will not go according to plan. When that time comes I want to make sure that we are able to react accordingly around each other, you all are able to predict each other's moves before they happen... that can save a mission. We need to establish that kind of knowledge to keep each other safe in the field."

Quatre didn't have anything to say to him after that, instead he nodded his head and watched, standing in the doorway for a few moments before he turned and left the room. Harry waited a few moments, listening to see if he could hear the other man, and sure enough he could head the soft footfalls of the blond as he made his way to the exit of their floor. Looking at the screen of his laptop, Harry wondered not for the first time if he was doing the right thing; dedicating himself to fighting for the side of the light, taking this position even though he was new to the agency, taking on all five pilots at once, even allowing himself to browse their files. Entering his password which changed every week as per regulations he opened up the last document that he was viewing before he was called in to see his new office.

Inside were the reports which were filled out by the previous agents that were assigned to work with the pilots. Although he had read the official reports, when an agent chose to leave the perventers they were required to make a report as to why. In it they were encouraged to speak frankly; the file would not be used against them in any way and would only be kept in a file for review in case something happened that they would need to improve internally. Harry figured that this at least he would not feel guiltily about reading, it would give him valuable information as to what he would need to avoid. Lady Une had told him to use any and all resources that he had in order to work with the pilots, as although they didn't know it he was their last chance to remain together as a unit.

**A/N****: Okay so another chapter up ^_^ I am still looking for a beta for this story if anyone is interested. Until next time (and again this isn't my primary story so therefore I make no promises as to when next time will be.) peace! **


	3. Chapter 3

******Chapter Three*******

By the time the others had arrived back, Harry was done of the first report, one that was driven away by Agent Wing's refusal to have a conversation with him. Each carried with them at least two boxes which from what he could see at the top were filled with paperwork. Being that he was fairly new, Harry only had reports to look through that were easy enough to do on his computer and didn't have much to do until he was given a case with one of his new partners. Deciding that they most likely wouldn't be looking at his screen he continued his research into what had caused the others to quit before him. He was in the middle of his second report, this one who quit after a bombing incident nearly took out Zero Two when he was interrupted.

Harry spotted Agent Sand once again in front of his doorway that he had left open as not to isolate himself too badly. Looking up he waited for the other to speak, closing out the report as he did so. "I spoke to the others and they agree that since none of us are on anything that can't be shared, that we should all move to the main room. You were right; we need to get to work together if we are going to make this work."

Packing up his laptop he then shouldered his bag and made his way to the common room, noticing that the only desk left was one by the window. Unlike most people Harry was sure that the pilots hated having such an open area of attack, Harry himself wasn't too thrilled about it but with some well-placed wards which he would do tonight it wouldn't be a hassle for him. Taking his spot he placed his laptop on the desk before making himself at home and bringing up the report. Although he was by the window he was able to tilt his screen so that there would be no reflection that anyone could see his screen from.

Getting to work he read through to the last few pages before his eye twitched slightly. The idiot that had been working with Agent Scythe was more of a moron then he thought possible. Not only did he endanger the mission, believing himself able to defuse a bomb he had no training in but he also disregarded a direct order from his superior not to touch it. Moving the document, Harry easily typed out every bomb he had disarmed, even though it was only in training and everything he knew about them. The bomb that caused the accident, if it had been made correctly would have taken out a city block. Writing his own report on the proper way to dispose of such a weapon he didn't bother saving the file.

Thinking back on the first report he wondered if maybe he should be doing this for all of them, telling the agents around him what the others did wrong. Bringing up a new file he wrote out his own report in response to the first one he read and then moved on to the signs he knew his body displayed when his emotions were high. It took him another four hours, and to the end of their shift until he was done of the one who left Wu Fei claiming that the man was an irresponsible child when he wouldn't take a life. When the others move to leave the room, Harry noticed that they were all looking at him, probably wondering why he wasn't eager to leave.

"I have some work to finish up; I'll see you all in the morning."

Turning back to the computer he waved slightly as they left together to go home. Still Harry spent his time in the office until it was around midnight when he finished his last report. Breathing a sigh of relief he leaned back in his chair and looked at the screen in front of him. There in black and white was divided one by one all he understood about the five pilots. He had learnt in just reading the reports filed against them, more about their character than he ever would by working with them. All in all he was impressed with the five of them, he knew after doing some of his own digging before this that they would all have their own quirks but he didn't understand how it wasn't the quirks that made the others leave but who the pilots where as humans.

Each pairing that Lady Une had tried to set up had failed because she didn't look past the paper into the person she was trying to throw at the pilots. She didn't seem to realize that putting a gossip with as silent assassin wouldn't be the wisest of moves, or someone who was too arrogant to listen to someone younger than them with a prankster. For whatever reason, Harry was sure that Lady Une only looked at the qualifications on paper and never got to know the new recruits before she picked which of the five they would work with. Running a hand through his hair, Harry looked to one of the clocks in the room and noticed that it was half past midnight, and he had to be up early to make sure that he wasn't late for work tomorrow.

Cracking his neck he pulled out his wand and started on the wards around the room, the window and the hallway. It took him another two hours however by three o'clock he was on his way out the door, the floor they would be using completely save from pretty much anything and anyone. The last thing he did before he went to bed that night was print off at home his reports that he had worked so hard on all day. In the morning he would label each of them according to the original report he was writing about. As his head hit the pillow Harry's last thought was to wonder if maybe this would help him stay a bit longer with the other five... they after all had something in common, the look in their eye the same one that Harry saw himself every morning... the look of someone who had seen too much and yet nothing at all.

***~*~*~*~*Chapter Three … and a half :P *~*~*~*~*~**

While Harry remained at the office the five former Gundam pilots made their way home in an unusual silence. As made their way to the mansion they called home each were lost in thought about the new partner who they would all be forced to work with. Pulling into the garage which was enlarged to fit twenty cars comfortably they as a unit made their way inside the mansion, each making their way to the sitting room. Taking their usual spots around the room, it was Duo that broke the silence they had been in since they left the office.

"He… in a way reminds me of Heero, when I first met him."

All four heads turned to look at Duo, but the only one that didn't seem surprised was in fact the owner of the home they were living in. Instead Quatre nodded his head, placing a hand on his chin he sighed before he added in his observations.

"I had that initial thought as well, but when we first walked past him leaving Lady Une's office I couldn't get a read on him. Even in our most closed off moments I have been able to feel each of you, Heero included, at least your base emotions were available to me. Agent Hallow however is just like a block of ice it was like there was nothing, no emotion at all about him."

Trowa the closest to him placed his hand on Quatre's back in a sign of comfort when he saw the little one shiver slightly from the memory. Giving Quatre a few moments to gather himself they waited for him to continue.

"We spoke briefly, and even then when I could see him, when I could hear him, I couldn't feel him and that for a moment scared me. Not only that but what was worse was when he spoke of us getting to know one another, and he made a comment which spoke of betrayal of how he learnt not to trust someone without cause anymore but yet I couldn't feel anything. I could see in his eyes that he was hurt before, I could see that he was feeling hurt at the time but I couldn't feel it. For whatever reason my space-heart doesn't work on him so I am sorry my friends however I don't think I will be much help in feeling him out like we hoped."

After Quatre spoke all five pilots lapsed into silence to think over what he said, normally in this situation they would rely heavily, perhaps too much so on his space-heart to know how to react around someone. For Lady Une to demand that all five of them take on a sixth member spoke volumes, she was on her last nerve and if the five of them didn't make this work there was a good chance that one or all of them would be finding other work.

"I suppose we will have to deal this like any other situation, gather the necessary data on the target and then come with a plan of action. Zero Four, although your space-heart doesn't seem to work on him, he did give you an insight into his mind by admitting that he had been betrayed before in doing so I would suspect that he is willing to work with you slightly. Work on getting to know him, your reputation is not nearly as harmful to our cause as the rest of us so it should be easier for you to be able to approach him. Zero Two, you would be the second to approach him, from your background you have more first-hand experience with interacting with citizens then the rest of us, use that knowledge to get him to open up more."

Like always Heero it seemed was able to come up with a plan of action for them to follow in order to get the results that they wanted. Unlike most times however, this would be harder than a simple mission, getting friendly with people was never a skill that he had, and it was one that most of them struggled with from time to time as well.

"While you two work on developing a more trusting and working relationship with him, the three of us will work on trying to find out more about him. All we have been given is his code-name getting his birth-name would be a step in the right direction; I will tackle hacking into the personnel files to see what I can find. Zero Three I want you to observe while he interacts with others, I wouldn't suggest shadowing him in case someone else notices however get as close as you can as discreetly as you can. Zero Five, I want to know what kind of skills he has, I want to know what he specializes in and what he needs more training in, and if we are to accept him into our team I will not have a weak member."

After they all agreed to the plan, Heero never one to procrastinate took out his laptop and started to type away at the keys, trying to get into Agent Hallows' files. Seeing that he would take a while, the other four knew better than to try and get him away from his work instead they split up and went about their regular routine. Someone brought him in supper when it was finished and another took the empty plate from where he left it, the only thing that took him away from his laptop was when Duo finally at one o'clock got him to go to bed with the promise that he could continue in the morning. Neither knew what the next day would entail.

**A/N: I would like to take this moment to praise the wonderful Salas who has taken it upon themselves to beta this story! **


	4. Chapter 4

***~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter Four *~*~*~*~*~**

Harry although he didn't sleep long, slept very well the night after meeting the pilots. Waking up to his alarm he got out of bed and went about his morning routine of exercising, including getting on a pair of jogging pants and running along the block around his house before stretching and taking a shower, before putting on his clothes, in this case his uniform and gathering his things before making his way to work. Making sure to take the reports that he had been working on the day and night before, Harry made only one stop to pick up a muffin and a cup of tea before he got to the building. Harry was practically skipping he was feeling so good that morning, as he entered the security code to enter the floor that he would be working from with the others he was slightly surprised to see that he was the only one there. Using the time alone he quickly made sure that the wards he placed here still holding strong and adding another charm to make it so that the windows were anti-reflective so that he wouldn't have to worry about anyone seeing the reflection while working on a confidential case.

Grabbing the bag that he had set on the floor Harry started placing his things in the drawers provided in both the common room and his personal office. Each place including his own bag held; two changes of clothes, some water, energy bars along with a lighter, a compass, flashlight, and portable radio which was fully charged along with candles and batteries. The likelihood of him needing that while in the building was slim to none and with his magic he honestly didn't need most of it but if he was trapped somewhere with muggles he had to at least look like he was prepared without his wand. After placing a few more things on each desk including a still picture of his parents in his personal office he opened his laptop and plugged it into the common room desk. Looking at the clock that was placed by the doorway he noticed that it was almost eight thirty and the chances were high that the others would be arriving soon or at least a couple of them would be.

Glancing at the drawer that he placed the papers he wrote up the night before he wondered if perhaps he should just leave the files on their desks instead of waiting to personally hand them to them. The decision was taken out of his hands when the door opened, and in walked the five others who he had been waiting for. Judging by the slight widening of their eyes he supposed that they were used to being the first ones to arrive and weren't expecting him to already be there.

"Good morning." Greeting the five pilots, Harry wasn't surprised when the only one that replied with any kind of enthusiasm was Agent Sand considering the still tired look most of them had and the knowledge he did on how quiet most of them were. Shrugging his shoulders slightly, Harry took a drink of his tea before he glanced once again at the drawer that he knew he would have to open in order to give out the papers that he had made. It was tempting for him not to give them to the other agents however he didn't stay up so late working on them for him not to give them over, besides someone would have to make the first move in getting a working relationship going. Taking his last drink of tea he put the Styrofoam container in the garbage beside his desk before he opened the drawer and took out the five files.

Each file was in its own folder although no names were given, only a corresponding number to match each pilot. Seeing that he had the attention of Quatre, Harry smiled slightly at the blond before he spoke, his voice carrying through the room considering nobody else was talking.

"Agent Sand mentioned to me yesterday when I expressed my... shall we say lack of trust that it was each of your quirks that drove away your previous partners and not your skill or protection."

Seeing that he now had the attention of the whole room, Harry stood up and one by one he placed each person's folder on their desk in front of them. While he was walking around the room distributing the folders he continued to speak to the room.

"Lady Une believed that it would aid in my remaining with this team if I had access to the previous agent's files, including their reports of each of you. Although I cannot say what exactly was written what I can say is that not one was flattering in any way, and you're probably better off not knowing. What I could do however was learn from them and in each case there seemed to be a major problem that they could not handle, so I decided to write out my own report that each of you can read. Inside each folder will be my thoughts on how the situation could have been avoided, on what should have happened, on how both agents could have worked together to resolve the issue or my personal opinion on the matter."

Now standing in front of WuFei, Harry hesitated slightly before he passed him his folder.

"I can't say you're going to like what I have to say, nor can I say that I fully understand each situation as I only have half of the story from someone in most cases completely furious. What I can say is that from what I was able to find out that in most cases the situation should never have been created in the first place."

Finally passing the folder to WuFei, Harry just knew that although he tried to write to explain his point of view that the other man would hate that he too agreed with the agent that left because he wouldn't kill women and children. Taking his spot he logged into his computer and started working on a file that he had picked up, a cold case that he had decided to work on while he and the others waited for more work to be done.

"Holy crap, what did you do write out your resume?"

Looking up to Duo who was browsing through his qualifications with bombing and general knowledge of explosives, Harry blushed slightly.

"Honestly I don't know what you all typically encounter in that kind of situation and honestly if the agent would have admitted that he didn't know shit about what he was doing then it would have turned out fine. There may be a situation where I have to be the one defusing a bomb it might ease your mind to know what I can and can't handle, and save us time. If I'm lacking in something, or if you think there's something that I should train on let me know and I'll work on it."

It seemed like Duo asking opened up the floor, and to be honest Harry was glad as the silence was killing him.

"You said that there was a lack of communication and that for future partners I may wish to empathize more with them to try and understand them. What exactly lead to this?"

Looking at the only other green-eyed agent in the room, Harry sighed slightly before answering.

"Honestly, the guy said that you wouldn't say more than two words to him. I can tell from only spending a few minutes with you that you aren't the talkative type however the guy was new, inexperienced and frightened to be paired with someone of such high ranking. If you are given another partner who is new it would go a long way explain protocols or not to be so intimidating for them to ask a question."

Nodding his head, Trowa looked to Heero who looked up from his own papers and nodded his head slightly, his was similar as well. Giving WuFei a quick glance, Harry saw that although his hands were clenched slightly around the paper, he didn't seem to be exploding right yet. Catching his eye WuFei seemed to take a deep breath before he spoke, his voice seeming to hold a slightly disappointed and yet angry tone all at once.

"You agreed with him."

Nodding his head, Harry was quick to explain his point of view before he lost the respect he was trying so hard to earn.

"Yes I do, in my own way and from my own experience. I do not agree how he took out his anger, or from what I am guess how he reacted when he found out about your inability to kill women and children but I do agree that one should not limit that only men should be killed when ordered. I know of a women who when a friend and I were only a few months old tortured my friends parents to a near death where they are still to this day trapped inside their own minds unable to recognize their own son. She wasn't given the death penalty instead she was locked away in a high-security prison, she was insane herself when she escaped and killed her own cousin, my godfather. She got away with killing him only to try and kill a sixteen year old girl two years later… the young woman's mother however killed her before she could harm the child."

"And children?"

"There was a boy one, his name was Tom and he never had much of a chance from the beginning, hated by a father that could never love him and with his mother only living long enough to him his name he learnt early on in the orphanage how cruel children can really be. By the time that he was old enough to attend boarding school that he got a full ride for, he knew just how to blend into any situation and how to manipulate those around him. He was sixteen, still a child when he made his first kill while at school, but given his age and skills nobody suspected him except one. Eventually he found out who his father was, and in a single evening killed his father and grandparents, and still nobody caught him. It wasn't until he was much older when he attacked a fifteen month old child after killing its parents, making that child in many ways like himself. Tom grew to hate everything and everyone, he was however able to fool some into joining him and launched attack after attack against innocent people."

"You said that someone knew that he killed when he was a child, didn't they do something?"

"They could have, when Tom was still young, they could have gotten him help however back then Tom was 'just a child' and there wasn't much that he could do. He had to bid his time until Tom grew, but nobody knew just how horrible it would all turn out. By the end, until he was killed Tom killed far more people than anyone could ever keep record of."

Looking WuFei in the eye, Harry although he understood where he was coming from had to get his point across.

"If given the chance I would have killed him as soon as he entered school, which was eleven by the way. If I was given the chance, I wouldn't hesitate to destroy that evil long before he even became what he eventually was. There are others, adults who I would have killed as children to wipe them from the playing field long before they reach adulthood. I know that it sounds horrible, but if the same signs came up in a child, if I saw the same look in their eyes as Tom had in his youth I wouldn't hesitate on my orders to assassinate the threat."

"But you can't know how they will turn out, you can't be sure that they will end up like this Tom."

Moving his head, Harry looked at Quatre and sighed slightly.

"That was the same thought that a young professor had about his student, he had the chance to stop Tom knowing full well what he would turn into however he let his doubts rule him. I am not him, and I would rather regret my choice for the rest of my life then to allow another Tom happening. Don't get me wrong, if I do not have the orders I will not harm anyone, in fact I believe that life is precious, and nothing is more precious than the life of an innocent child. I just wish for you to understand that I find fault in restricting which orders your will and will not accept."

There was a moment of silence before Duo broke it with his question. "What about that baby, the one he tried to attack what happened with him?"

"He grew up I suppose, not many people know what happened to him though. Maybe someday I will tell you his story, but right now I think that's enough story-telling about people you may never know."

All five pilots had seen the sad expression on his face, even though Quatre thought it strange that he still couldn't feel anything from the other agent. Glancing at WuFei, Harry was surprised to see the reluctant acceptance in his eyes, and with a small nod they acknowledged that it would not be held against him. Feeling a weight being lifted from his shoulders he wondered how much longer he would remain with them, until of course they learnt the truth. From previous experience with muggles, Harry very much doubted that he would be accepted if they passed the three month trial period that Lady Une had set before she allowed her top agents the clearance to know about his magic.

He had cast a small spell as he delivered the papers to each agent, it would tell him if someone was magical or not. It wasn't a very powerful spell and thus was designed to be used wandlessly so as not to draw attention should the target be a muggle. Unfortunately the spell only worked after the target reached their age of majority, which for a wizard would be between sixteen and seventeen depending on their bloodlines. That had been something that had angered Hermoine when she found out that because of her bloodline she would be a year early for her adulthood. After weeks of research they found out that it was because those with a pure bloodline, still able to produce magical children was because somewhere down the line there would be at least one magical creature in the family history.

It was the magical creature, be it vampire, werewolf, veela or even incubus that kept the magical inbreeding from destroying the family. There were some families like the Goyles that never mixed their family with a magical creature, muggle or muggle-born which was why Gregory was at the bottom of his year and had very little magic to work with. The Malfoy family on the other hand mated with a veela every six or seven generations to keep their bloodline pure. Being a magical humanoid being, a veela was an acceptable substitute and means that they could always claim that they came only from magical heritage. The Weasleys back a few hundred years mated with a fire elemental which explained both their explosive temper and their red hair.

The spell that Harry used revealed back that each one of them were muggle, they each may have had traces of magic but it was too low to even be considered squibs. Typing away at his computer, he and the others seemed to at once go to work, writing up reports and investigating into cold cases at least that was what Harry was doing. Every now and then one of them would say a word or two about one thing or another however Harry didn't both to join the conversation considering he was never spoke to directly. Strangely enough although he wasn't being spoke to, the atmosphere wasn't awkward for him, in fact he felt right at home surrounded by five other soldiers.

_**Once again I would like to thank the wonderful Selas for editing this chapter!**_


	5. Chapter 5

***~*~*~ Chapter Five *~*~*~*~**

The next day when Harry came to work he was slightly surprised to see one of the pilots there, even more so that it was the more soft-spoken Quatre. Nodding hello to the agent as his mouth was full of muffin while he used his hands to juggle a briefcase, tea, and a box of muffins that he got for the other members of the team. Placing the muffins on one of the tables in the common room, Harry then placed his tea and briefcase down before he bit off the piece of muffin that was in his mouth and munched happily on it. After swallowing he smiled at Quatre and greeted him properly.

"Sorry about that, good morning Agent Sand. I bought the muffins for everyone, I would have gotten coffee or tea but I didn't want for it to get cold."

"You really don't have to do that, none of us expect you to… in fact what you did yesterday with the reports surprised us as well. It's kind of why I came in a bit earlier than the rest of them. I know what others have been saying, and I'm sure that there was more than what you told us on those reports but honestly we aren't out to get you. You don't have to try and impress anyone here, in fact we should be the ones accommodating to you not the other way around. What I wanted to ask you is if there is anyone any one of us can do to help you in any way? I know that Agent Scythe was working last night on the list you gave him. You put the time in to let us know where you stand, we feel like we should do the same."

Harry opened his mouth to brush aside the help, to say that he was fine but stopped. Now that he thought about it, he was sure that they would have much more experience in muggle survival and techniques that he could use. "Actually if it's not too much trouble… I wouldn't mind if one of you could perhaps point out my flaws so that I can work on them. I have a very… special skill set however I'm sure that I am lacking in some areas and it would be a benefit for all of us if I could eliminate those flaws. I'm sure that I could do something in return for your help, if you want I could get you and the others access to my personnel file."

Watching Quatre widen his eyes slightly, Harry could have smacked himself. There was no way that he should be able to allow anyone to access those files even if they were his own. Glancing at the Winner heir, Harry watched as the blonde seemed to come to a decision and to his surprise didn't go with the choice of asking him more about how exactly he could get them all clearance into his file. Taking his spot at his desk, Harry opened up his computer from the briefcase that he took in with him. Making sure that the anti-reflective spell was still working on the windows he started to type out the request to allow the pilots access to his muggle-friendly file as it would help him in developing trust easier between them.

By the time that the others arrived to start off their shift he had just managed through a series of emails, back and forth between himself and Lady Une to get them all clearance for his file. Smiling broadly, he brought himself out of where he was trying to access his own file in order to send it to the others; he wasn't going to go back on his word after all. Having gotten permission to share his file with the others he then used the legal and safe way of using his access code and getting a copy of the file on his computer. Not wanting the chance of someone intercepting the file, considering he had worked hard to make the file in the first place he used his own account to distribute it.

"The passcode is Victor-Oscar-Lima-Delta-Echo-Mike-Oscar-Romeo-Tango."

After giving them the code that would give them access to his file he caught eyes with Quatre who didn't have the chance yet to tell his fellow former pilots about his claim to give them access to his file. Watching them open the file he saw as one by one they all widened their eyes as they saw what he sent them. Heero, ever the suspicious one of the group was quick to back-hack into the message in order to confirm that it came from the actual personnel files that he had been trying so desperately to access.

"How did you get access let alone permission to share this information?"

"More importantly why exactly are you willing to share your own file with us?"

Looking from Heero to Duo, Harry thought about how to answer their questions. Perhaps he should have allowed Quatre to talk to the others first, maybe to give them a heads-up about him having both the clearance and the will to send them such personal information. Sighing slightly he leaned back in his chair and glanced slightly at all the pilots before he spoke.

"I was honestly hoping that if you all would do me a favor. Each of you has a particular area that you excel in… I was hoping that each of you would be willing to point out my flaws so that I may improve. If you do not feel comfortable doing so I understand, however I still ask that you read the file so that you know what qualifications I have."

"How did you obtain access to the file, and the permission to distribute it?"

Seeing that Heero was ignoring the glare given to him by Duo and Quatre, Harry realized that there was no way that he would accept anything but the truth for this.

"I can't tell you much, but I will tell you what I can." Seeing Heero's nod to continue he did. "All of the qualifications in that file are correct, however not all of them are there. As I said before to Agent Sand before the rest of you arrived, I have a very special skill set. Right now you all do not have clearance to know what that is however it does push me ahead in ranking. Technically speaking I outrank everyone in the preventers except Lady Une herself. It is not something that I wanted; in fact I asked to be demoted several times however Lady Une would not hear of it. That being said some of the information given in my file is fabricated such as my place of residence, education, and school. If you wish to do a search on me I would not mind, but it will pull up frustrations I assure you."

"I was also hoping, that perhaps if you know where I stand, it may help you trust me even slightly should you need to rely on me. That is also why I did up those reports, and why I was given access for you in the first place. I want you to understand how I think; I want you to be able to know what I can and cannot do what morals if any I may have. I do not yet trust any of you to give you my personal history on why exactly I pushed into my training, on why I'm here but I do trust you enough to give you the results."

Tracing his scar that would forever be on his forehead he sighed before turning back to his computer to work on some files. He hoped that they would leave it at that for now; honestly he originally didn't plan on telling them of his status however with his slip of giving them his file forced his hand. Typing away and researching Harry didn't even notice the time fly by until he saw Quatre who was closest to him make his way towards his desk. Turning to the other agent, Harry tilted his head slightly in question as to why the other was at his desk.

"I thought perhaps you might want some company for lunch, the others already left for their own."

Harry didn't quite know how to respond; on the one hand Zero Four was a nice person unless you were on the other side of the war then him. But also was it clear that the others had put him up to trying to play friendly with the new guy. It wouldn't hurt; he supposed if he allowed himself to open up a bit to the blond. Nodding his head slightly, Harry got up after saving the file he was working on and closed his laptop. Opening one of the drawers he placed the laptop inside and pressed his finger against the small scanner inside to lock it. Standing up, Harry smiled at Quatre before the two of them left the room and made their way down to the cafeteria.

Once they arrived at the cafeteria which sold meals at a half-decent price to the employees Harry noticed that most people were staring at them. Being use to people staring at him from when he was in Hogwarts, Harry didn't mind so much and quickly bought the meal he wanted before picking a table that was unoccupied, pretending not to see one of his stalker-women move over to offer him a seat. Placing his meal down on the table, Harry positioned himself so that his back was up against the wall and he could see the only exit/entrance. Quatre sat down across from him, leaving his back exposed which made Harry smile slightly at the trust a former pilot would have to have to do that with him.

"You know, none of you have to act any differently around me. I know that you were probably voted to interact with me first, but honestly if I didn't think I could handle all of you at once I wouldn't have requested it."

Startled, Quatre wondered if perhaps they had underestimated their new partner a bit. Even with the reports that he gave them, the five of them had decided to stick to the original plan to have Quatre, then Duo interact with him and see how long he would last. '_It might be best'_ Quatre thought '_if we re-group and make an alternative plan, he doesn't seem angry; in fact he seemed more amused than anything else.' _Smiling at the other man, Quatre watched the man a bit as he ate, which was like a mix between himself and Duo. While he didn't eat as much or as fast as he could, he did keep his left hand on the plate in a firm grip in case someone tried to take it from him. Though he did seem to have proper manners and took his time with each bite.

"I will bring it up in conversation, it wasn't our intention to assume that you wouldn't be able to 'handle it' as it were, I suppose we wanted to make sure that you wouldn't be overwhelmed by five agents instead of one."

"I understand, really I do and I'm sure that it was this plan of yours that is keeping Agent Wing from putting on a full interrogation. If you would, could you please let them know that I can adapt quickly to those around me?"

Seeing Quatre nod his head, Harry smiled slightly at the blond. Returning to his meal, Harry brushed off the eyes watching him. Although he was off to the side and mostly unseen by most people, Harry noticed Trowa once he entered the room. It would take a while for them to trust him enough with one of their own, especially the one he was sure people underestimated the most however it would come with time.

The rest of the day progressed rather well, although since the pilots didn't have a moment alone Quatre didn't tell them that he was fine with them all ambushing him so to speak. He spoke a little to the pilot of Sandrock from time to time but mostly kept to himself. During his time he managed to finish up one of the cold cases that he had taken upon himself, however being his rank he couldn't just go out onto the field unless ordered to do so. He was able however to assign lower officers to his cases and did so, hoping that the officer would do well. Stretching his arms above his head, Harry smiled at the solved case before he brought up another one, this one being a personal one that he had found when doing a background check on himself to see if everything was how it should be. Reading through the file, Harry wondered how nobody had picked up on this before when they were still children. Running a hand through his hair, Harry sighed and started looking through the witness statements, his earlier happiness forgotten as he worked on the case.

"Tough case?"

Looking up, having expected to see Zero Four he was surprised to see that it was Zero Two instead who was standing at his desk. "You could say that, it seems as though a cousin of mine has managed to get himself in some trouble. I'm debating if I should hand the case off or handle it myself."

"Can you handle it without becoming emotionally involved?" The question came from Heero instead of Duo or Quatre which made Harry happy to see some interaction between himself and another member of the group.

"No, I become emotionally involved with each case I work. I would be able to handle it professionally however if he was let go? If the verdict was once again "boys will be boys" I can't honestly say how I would react." That was his main fear, which would at least startle the agents; he didn't want to help his cousin instead he wanted to make sure that he rotted in jail. Looking in Heero's blue eyes Harry had a moment where he wondered if the so called perfect soldier could read his thoughts however that shortly passed before they broke eye contact.

"Then make sure that doesn't happen."

Taking the words to heart, Harry nodded his head and started once again working this time on a case he knew would either hurt or help him heal from his ten years and seven summers of being nothing more than Freak. He was still working on the file when it was time to go home, however like the night before he stopped late into the night and re-set the wards giving them a little boost with his magic so that they wouldn't need any more for a while. Packing up his things he left the building and went home. _All in all, _thought Harry as he made himself ready for bed. _It wasn't a bad day; in fact I would label it as good so far with my new team. Now if I could just manage to get myself into bed at a half-reasonable time every now and then..._

**Well here we are again thanks to Seras who once again took it upon themselves to edit this chapter! **


	6. Chapter 6

***~*~*~Chapter Six *~*~*~**

The moment that the five of them made it home, Quatre was quick to turn and address the others who he shared a house with. "We need to talk." As one all five of them made into what they liked to call the meeting room for the five of them and took their usual spots around the room. Once settled Quatre was quick to start into the conversation that he knew they would have to have.

"Agent Hallow knows that I am the one who was voted into befriending him. In fact he seemed to find it slightly amusing but has stressed the fact that he can 'handle it' if we all act like our normal selves around him instead of only me and Duo speaking to him, and Heero with the occasional question."

"Do you think he actually can?"

Glancing at Trowa, Quatre nodded his head after only a moment's hesitation.

"Honestly I believe that he knows more about us then what he lets on, if he has the ability to not only view but share his own personnel file, who's to say that he can't access ours as well. Not only that but he did have access to the leaving papers written up by our previous partners and although only one-sided they did paint us at least in some fashion I am sure of who we normally are. I think that we can trust him with that much at least, he has been willing to work with us thus far and hasn't shied away from how he was feeling or what he thought."

"I think Quatre's right, so far he's been holding up pretty well and from what we all read he seems rather qualified if only a little green. If we are going to be able to trust him to watch our backs he has to know that we have his… all of us. Besides he seems to be promoting trust a great deal, enough that we should probably show him a little of our own."

"I want to know what's happening with his cousin."

They all turned to look at Heero, they watched as he pulled out his laptop from the case he had carried into the room and opened it on his lap. The sound of typing took over the room while Heero worked on trying to not only find out who his cousin was but what kind of trouble he was in. It was a next to impossible task considering that even his name on his file was fabricated, something that Harry hasn't bothered to tell the others. They all watched for a good ten minutes before the slight twitch on Heero's eye told them that they wouldn't be able to find anything on him on the internet or in any files that they could access.

"I think that tomorrow we should act like we normally would around each other and not try to remain silent as we have been previously. If he knows what we're doing it might make him feel insulted that we won't interact with him."

Looking around the room Wu Fei saw the others nod at what he said, closing the subject of conversation before they moved on. That night, one of the five looked to the ceiling while he thought about their newest partner. There was something more that he could sense when he was around the young man, but he hadn't thought that it would be a good idea to bring it to their attention. While it was true that he couldn't feel the basic emotions such as anger, fear, nervousness, sadness or pain from the other man he could feel one thing from him and it was that one sensation that was forcing him to bring him into their fold of a team as quickly as possible. From the first time he was within reach of the young man he felt the same thing, _empty._


	7. Chapter 7

**Warning: This chapter has brief mentions of child abuse. **

***~*~ Chapter Seven *~*~**

Waking up early - like he seemed to be doing more often than not lately, Harry as per usual took his shower and got ready for work. Grabbing his things he made his way to his now regular coffee shop and bought a variety pack of muffins to go with his tea to take with him to the office. Making his way to the elevators that would bring him up to their floor he heard his name being called, and turning around he found himself looking at a happy Duo who was smiling at him. Before he could say anything Duo was taking the package of muffins from him leaving Harry with his other hand available to press the button for the elevator as the two of them walked in together.

"Sooooo the guys and I were thinking and we decided that it was unfair for us to keep ourselves from you. You're right and if we want to trust you, we have to show you what you're getting into, so today we are going to be ourselves around you."

Surprised for a moment Harry didn't say anything instead he waited for the elevator to climb to their floor. Finally after Duo was starting to question if he should have said anything until he saw a hand stuck out from the other man. Grabbing the hand, Duo looked at the smiling face now looking at him.

"I'm glad to hear that Agent Scythe, let's try this again then shall we? Hello I'm going to be the newest addition to your team. My name is Harry although I will be going by Agent Hallow."

Taking the hand in front of him just as the elevator doors were opening, Duo smiled.

"Nice to meet'cha my name is Agent Scythe… or Duo Maxwell I may run and hide but I never tell a lie."

Chuckling Harry shook Duo's hand before the two of them stepped off the elevator and Harry punched in the code for the two of them to enter the privet floor. Duo opened up the door for the two off them since Harry was still carrying the coffee and the two of them made their way to the common room, Harry was quick to note that although the previous mornings he had been first it seemed like he wouldn't be any more as he caught sight of the other four members of the team working at their stations. Placing the coffee on the table he normally did, Harry wondered if the others would normally be here this early or if it was because they decided that they would be more honest with him. Duo placed the muffins down beside the coffee and Harry was quick to grab his tea before going to his own desk to start work. Harry only had a few moments to get himself set up before one of the other men spoke. Slightly surprised to hear Heero's' voice he looked up from his screen.

"Your last name isn't the same as your cousin."

Turning to face Heero, Harry shook his head.

"No, they were only charged with my care I was never adopted into the family. I lived with my maternal aunt and her family."

"You spoke about past trauma and now you distance yourself from them, it makes me wonder what charges your cousin is having brought against him obviously some abuse happened in your time there."

"Heero!"

The reprimand came from Quatre who seemed horrified that Heero was speaking so matter of fact about his personal life. Harry on the other hand didn't mind, he had known that the former Zero One pilot didn't have very many social skills and that having an abusive childhood may put him at risk of having a breakdown. While it could help in dealing with witnesses, especially children it could be a liability as well if he wasn't fully developed against flashbacks of his own childhood and it might harm his ability to go undercover in certain situations.

"It's fine, I was neglected and my cousin was encouraged to beat me up. He would gather his friends and they would play a game called Harry Hunting, luckily my cousin became overweight and I was able to run from him and his friends by the time that he was put into boxing. My uncle and aunt never hit me; they would instead let me know every waking moment that I was only there as burden and I would be forced to do all of the house work including cooking from a very young age although I was rarely allowed to eat."

Shrugging his shoulders, Harry made sure to look around the room at the other five people inside it.

"I have come to terms with my childhood a long time ago, I understand why they did what they did and after getting back every penny that was given to them for my upkeep as per my parents' wishes I feel that I showed them that I was worth more than what they could ever amount to. The charge on my cousin was for manslaughter, however I pulled a few strings and brought up former charges along with new evidence to have him charged with murder instead."

"Understandable, so this will not hinder your ability to perform in the field."

Shaking his head, Harry smiled slightly at the former pilot before he spoke.

"No, in fact sometimes it gives me an advantage. I find it easier to relate to the target which gives me a better insight into how they will react."

"And you find that this doesn't cause any conflict for you?"

"No, I have former experience in working in law enforcement although not at this level. I may be the new one to the building but I know by way around working professionally in any given situation."

Duo was the next one to speak up, almost as though he was trying to break up the conversation before Heero said something insensitive. He didn't have to, Harry was sure that anything that Heero said would just roll off him, there wasn't much that bothered him anymore and anything that did Heero wouldn't know about.

"I finished up a list of explosives that you should get some practice on. Your list was good for most situations but some of those babies can cause some problems if you don't know what you're looking for."

Taking the list from Duo, Harry was pleased to note that Duo didn't hold back when he went looking for something that could be improved. Honestly he hoped that the others would do the same, he could use some guidance in the muggle way of doing things. He had only spent a year in the auror department before he decided to move over to the Preventers, while the move had been his idea nothing else had been. Now he just hoped that he would be able to do his job without letting anyone down, and he was more than willing to up his training to do that.

"Thank you; I will get started on this as soon as I'm done with my paperwork."

Placing the file on top of his desk he went to start work on his computer, he would have time so long as he wasn't called for a mission to finished up everything he had found on Dudley's case before lunch. Seeing that he was back to work the others didn't try to engage him in conversation while he was typing away however once it came time for lunch to start he was surprised that WuFei was the one to speak to him.

"You are welcome to join us if you like."

Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, Harry quickly locked up his laptop and made his way with the others to the lunch room. Buying his lunch he easily slipped in next to Quatre who smiled brightly at him before they started to eat, Harry didn't pay attention to the conversation around him, it all reminded him a bit too much of Hogwarts. Behind him someone was gossiping about their co-worker while off to his side he could hear about so and so getting married. He could also hear the whispers start like they always did as soon as someone noticed him, he didn't know what it was in fact he tried several times to get rid of it but it seemed like no matter where he went people liked to talk about him. They would judge who he sat with, what he looked like, if he smiled, if he frowned even in the muggle world he was an enigma and people loved an enigma.

"It will all die down once they get used to seeing you with us. We don't socialize much."

Turning to face Quatre who was still trying to help him feel included and welcome he shook his head slightly.

"Thank you, but no they won't. You'll see a few months from now and people will still be whispering long after they get used to seeing me around. I'm sure that something will set them off and once again the whispers will start… don't worry about it, I'm used to it by now."

Seeing the look that he was getting, he tried again to explain.

"It's not uncommon for this to happen, I don't intend for it to happen however people for whatever reason seem to just _notice_ when I'm around. I can disappear when I need to however besides those moments when I _have_ to be invisible it's like I have a giant sign over my head asking for people to stare. It will die down in around a month or so I figure and then something will happen to bring me back into the limelight, the one place I hate being."

"So you don't enjoy the attention?"

"No, I hate it. I've been looked at like a prized pony since I was very little and each time it kind of just chips away a little more of myself. Not to complain or anything, but honestly I would rather people just forget that I exist at all."

"Like when you were a child."

Blinking slightly Harry looked at Heero, he had honestly never thought about it before but the other man was right. Nodding his head, Harry finished up his lunch before the six of them made their way back to the common room. Heero was right, some days when it had all become a bit too much he had thought back almost fondly to his time in his cupboard. While it had smelt and he was only allowed to have a new light every now and then it had been his place, his uncle had never been able to fit in and his cousin hadn't been able to in a long time as well. He had been safe then, invisible without his cloak and while it had been incredibly lonely it was also the only time he had to be himself, un-judged by anyone and completely safe.

"Yes, I suppose that's right."

**A/N:**** Sorry about this ending but to be perfectly honest I tried writing and re-writing the end of this chapter and this was the best that I got. I can start the next chapter from here but I can't seem to fix this chapters ending so I'm leaving it as it is. I'm sorry if this offends anyone in any way or if anyone is upset with this ending but honestly it's better then what was there. Again sorry. **

**With much love,**

**Mari-chan**

***~*~*~ This has been edited by the wonderful Sel4s! *~*~***


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